Illuminated inspection device



Oct. 28, 1958 B. HVER ILLUMINATED INSPECTION DEVICE Filed Feb. 20. 1956INVENT OR ne zfer.

Hmm @www ATTORNEYS ILLUMINATED INSPECTION DEVICE Brre Hver, Skoyen,Oslo, Norway Application February 20, 1956, Serial No. 566,483

Claims. (Cl. 2402.18)

The present invention relates to an illuminating inspection device andmore particularly to one adapted for the visual inspection of theinteriors of shipping or storage containers such as drums for oil orother liquid products.

When drums are being employed for the first time or are being reused, itis generally desirable to inspect their interi-ors prior to placing themin use in order to make certain they are clean and free of contaminantsfor the liquid product about to be placed therein. This operation isfrequently handicapped by the -absence of sufficient and/or suitableview-ing orifices through which the interior may be inspected. It isgenerally desirable to utilize for this purpose an orifice which alreadyexists for some utilitarian purpose such as for attaching a connectingconduit for filling or the like. At present such inspections are made byan inspector who merely inserts a small light on a cord through theopening in the con- 'rainer to determine whether or not the container,if new, has been made properly in the beginning or, if used, is in acondition to be reused. By this method of inspection, however, onecannot view more than one-half of the container interior and often maynot see any of the interior at all. -Moreover, even at best the portionof the interior adjacent the inspection orifice is not Within theinspectors field of vision. Light rods have also been employed to makesuch linterior inspections but these have been found to be impracticableand in many cases to interfere with the inspectors ability to see theinterior of the container due to the backlighting effect.

The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the presentlyemployed inspection devices and enables the inspector to view the entireinterior of the container.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide anapparatus or device which makes it possible to inspect the interior of aclosed container through a relatively small orifice in the wall thereof.

Other objects and ladvantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a' partial sectional view of the device of this inventionwhen positioned on and in .a container, the interior of which is to beinspected;

Figure 2 is a partial, cross-sectional view taken on the line 2:2 ofFigure l; and

Figure 3 is a front elevational view showing how the device of thepresent invention may be utilized in the inspection of the interior ofcontainers.

Referring now to the drawings and more specifically to Figure l, thereis shown the device of the present invention which comprises anopen-ended handle having at one of its extremities a convex portion 11of larger diameter than the opening of the container to be inspected.This convex portion functions as a pivot for the inspection Idevice whenit is inserted in the container for the inspection of the interiorthereof. At the same extremity of the handle 10 is an interior annularflange 12 covering a portion of the opening through the handle s UnitedStatesY Patent O 2,858,416 Patented Oct. 28, 1958 15. Between theconcave lens 13 an-d the eye piece 15 are a double convex lens 16 andspacing tube 17. Spacing tube 17 prevents longitudinal movement of`lenses 13 and 16 toward each other and maintains the lenses the' properdistance apart in .relation to their focal lengths. Aflixed to anddepending from handle 10 are a number lof relatively long spring steelrods 18, for example four, which are arcuate in shape yand joined attheir far ends at 18a. Between the yends of rods 18 and supported by andwithin them is a convex spherical mirror 19 which, in combination withthe lens system including lenses 13 and 16, enables the inspector toview the upper, and heretofore relatively inaccessible, portions of thecontainer top for visual inspection from without. Between mirror 19 andthe junction 18a of rods 18 is spider 20 which is supported by rods 18(see Figure 2). Spider 20 -in turn supports light assembly 21. Lightassembly 21 illuminates the interior `of the container and may receivecurrent from any source (not shown) such as wires entwined around one ofthe spring steel Irods vor by a suitable battery (not shown) disposedbeneath the spherical reflecting mirror 19. Between the light assembly21 and the junction 18a lof rods 18 is a second convex spherical mirror22 which reflects the light emanating from the light `assembly to theupper portion of the container. The exact length of therods is notcritical provided they are long enough to place the mirror-light systemsuiciently far into the container so as to enable the `inspector toexamine upper interior portions of the container that have notheretofore been amenable to inspection. The lower portion of thecontainer is, of course, illuminated idirectly by the light assembly.The mirrors 19 and 22 and the spider 20 are, of course, smaller indiameter than the orifice that is available for inspecting the drum orother container.

With the device thus described, the inspector upon placing his eye tothe eye piece 15 may visually inspect the entire interior surface Iofthe container, including the upper portion of the interior of thecontainer not heretofore visible by prior devices, but, of course, notincluding the portion immediately below and in line with themirror-light system. In order t-o see what is directly below the mirrorsit is only necessary to pivot slightly the inspecting device.

Figure 3 shows how the inspection device may be suspended from a roof orbeam by a spring 23 and an arcuate member 24 which is attached to oneend of the spring and the handle of the inspection device. This permitsthe mass inspection of large numbers of containers (e. g., on a movingbelt) without unnecessarily tiring the inspector since he does not hav-eto manually support the entire weight of the inspection device duringthe inspection ope-ration.

lWhile the invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment thereof, it is to be understood that considerable variationsfrom the details disclosed might be made without departing from the truescope and spirit of the invention.

Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the claims set forthhereinafter.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for inspecting the `interior of containers comprising a lensassembly, first and second reflecting means, said first and secondreflecting means having reecting surfaces unidirectionally facing saidlens assembly, lighting means positioned intermediate said first andsecond reflecting means, and supporting means comprising an openframework which carry said first .and second reflecting means andlighting means and depend from said lens assembly.

2. The inspection device of claim 1 comprising in addition a suspendingmeans `attached to said lens assembly. 3. The inspection device of claim1 wherein said lens assembly comprises an eye piece, a doubleconvex-lensadjacent said eye piece, a double concave lens coaxiallyspaced from said convex lens, and holding means supporting said eyepiece and lenses.

4. The inspection device of claimY 3 wherein-said hold-V intermediatesaid lighting means and said lens assembly' and having `a greaterreflecting surface than said second reflecting means, and supportingmeans comprising an open framework which carry said first and secondreecting means and lighting means yand coaxially depend from said lensassembly.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS1,509,041 Hyams Sept. 16, 1924 1,686,656 Geddes Oct. 9, 1928 1,814,669Cushing July 14, 1931 2,026,478 Lisintzki Dec. 31, 1935 2,028,430Baddorf etal Jan. 21, 1936 2,332,668 Richards Oct. 26, 1943 2,437,458Crampton Mar. 9, 1948

